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An amazing image of the 2016 Indonesian eclipse. Photographer: Alson Wong. The detail, that prominence!

I’ve been doing a series on the upcoming total solar eclipse. I realize it is late in the game, with only about 8 weeks until eclipse day. But if you haven’t made plans yet don’t worry. You still have time and this series is for you! And even if you’ve already made plans, you will find stuff here that will be useful once you hit the ground. Plus, this entire series of posts will help you plan for future eclipses. If this will be your first solar eclipse believe me, there will be others. It’s an addiction! Now let’s look at a few criteria I’ve found useful for deciding where to watch a total solar eclipse.

A. Ease of Access to Center Line.

Despite the fact that a solar eclipse is over in minutes and your travel plans may include a full vacation (say, two weeks), the actual eclipse needs to be your primary consideration. You probably already know, but it is absolutely essential to be in the path of totality. Close is not good enough. All you’ll see is a partial not total eclipse if you are outside of the path of totality. And a partial eclipse is just not all that special.

It’s also important to be well within the path of totality, not near the edge. Get as close as you can to the center line. Otherwise you’ll see an off-center and slightly shortened eclipse. Within a quarter mile or so of the center line is very good, but try to get right on it if you can.

The area along the path of totality that you plan to visit has to have several places to stand and look up (I know, duh!), with no serious obstructions such as dense forest. Work with the very accurate and well-done interactive maps online. I recommend this one.

Lastly, don’t pin all your hopes on one location. You’ll want a plan B and plan C, in other words a few alternative locations from which to watch in case something goes wrong with your first choice. The places need to be easy to access, on public property or on previously arranged private land. Arrive early!

The little-appreciated Ochoco Mtns. in central Oregon are in the path of totality.

B. Dry Climate.

This is a tricky one. Although you don’t want to be clouded out on eclipse day, it is easy to assume too much precision and accuracy when looking at climatic data. In other words, don’t over-think this. Accept the inevitable: an element of chance. When eclipse planning you can think of climate in two ways: large scale and small scale, or path climate and micro-climate. See below for a detailed look at both of these applied to the upcoming eclipse.

A solar eclipse path is very long but narrow, so climate can very dramatically along the path but not much across the path. You need to examine the climate along the path of totality and use that as one, not the only, factor influencing your decision of where to watch. Obviously the climatic information you research needs to be for the time of year that the eclipse is happening.

C. Inspiring

Last but not least I recommend seeing any total solar eclipse in a location that inspires you. It’s not just for the eclipse experience itself, but for the time you will spend before and after the eclipse. You have to decide where along the path is a place that stokes your imagination, all the while taking the other factors into account. And don’t forget that this eclipse will probably be the most hyped in history.

For me it means choosing a beautiful but not necessarily sexy natural place. What I mean by this is that it does not have to be in an iconic location like in front of the Tetons, Painted Hills, or any other of my favorite landscape photography subjects. The eclipse itself will almost make any spot worthwhile. Notice I said ‘almost’. Anyplace with a view of the sky is not a view I share.

The bottom line for me is that, while I don’t expect (nor do I wish) nobody else to be around, I do want to avoid all the hassles that go along with a mob scene. That would take away too much from the experience. But I do want to be in a nice natural environment, preferably with open views toward the western horizon, the direction from which the shadow comes.

It’s truly amazing how many beautiful places lie along the path of this eclipse: Grand Teton National Park, WY.

Climate Variations for this Eclipse

Path Climate

For this eclipse, which is happening in late summer, there are a few general path-climate considerations to be aware of. The part of the western U.S. traversed by the path is generally very dry, sunny and hot in August. There is frequent thunderstorm activity in the Rockies and even in eastern Oregon. But those normally happen in mid- to late afternoon, and the eclipse is early in the day. So that probably is not a big factor.

In the central U.S. the climate is again generally dry during late summer. But the same issue – thunderstorms – is a slightly bigger concern because of the higher humidity. That trend continues to become a bigger factor as the path travels east and slightly south, entering more humid climes later in the day. The southeastern U.S. is humid and hot in August. The eclipse there is in mid-afternoon, so the chances for clouds are greater than in the west.

But the west may not be the best for one reason: fire. Granted it is unlikely that a fire would be so big (or so close) as to greatly affect your experience. But August is fire-season in the west, and the risk of dense smoke, or even being forced to evacuate, cannot be ignored.

Interesting shot by photographer Alson Wong of the 2008 Chinese eclipse, over-exposing the corona but showing the moon’s surface being illuminated by earth shine. A good tradeoff!

Micro-Climate

Micro-climate will factor into your decision of where to watch once you’ve decided on a general area to go. One common example: the rain-shadow effect, where mountains tend to keep clouds and rain on the upwind side; that is, in the direction that prevailing weather tends to come from.

But keep in mind that micro-climate is also specific to the time of year. For example areas east of the Cascades, along with the east sides of ranges in the Rockies, are in rain shadows in winter but in summer receive moisture (in the form of thundershowers) coming up from the Gulf of Mexico.

For micro-climate much more than path climate, local knowledge is invaluable. If you know people who live in the area you are going, quiz them on local variations in cloudiness on a typical August day. Get on chat groups and try to filter out all the self-described expertise that plagues the internet. Focus on those who seem to be actual outdoors people and who have lived in the area for a long time. Not easy I know. It’s why I’m relying on my own experiences and talking with locals on previous trips.

The August eclipse will be seen by farmers across the heartland of the U.S.

A photo & travel blog with a difference: Instead of strict focus on photo how-to, gear and the like, I'll pass on knowledge about the places and cultures photographed. I believe the more deeply you come to know a place, the better your pictures will be.

My past careers as science teacher and geologist mean that I can't help but teach about the natural history of photogenic places around the world. But photography is not forgotten. You'll also see practical tips about where and how to photograph the destinations. And once a week, Friday Foto Talk gives photography tips and how-to on a selected topic, for novices on up to expert.

What you won't find here is endless discussion about me braving dangerous weather, terrain or wild animals to get the shot. Nor will there be cheerleading gear talk or marketing pitches. I promise to leave that to other blogs, of which there are many.

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